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China has approved the construction of the world's largest hydropower dam in Tibet on the Yarlung Tsangbo River which turns left and flows through Arunachal Pradesh and is called Siang in the state, then Brahmaputra in Assam and Jamuna in Bangladesh before flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
The dam on the Tibetan plateau has wider implications for India's national security and the ecology of the states in India and Bangladesh, affecting millions. It could lead to flash floods or water scarcity downstream and give China leverage in a state of armed conflict.
The Yarlung River enters India through Arunachal Pradesh and becomes Siang. The Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Chowna Mein, spoke to News Agency on the impact of the Chinese dam on the state and how the proposed 'Siang Dam' in the state will be to "counter" the Chinese mega project.
The Upper Siang Hydropower Project is a proposed dam on the Siang River in the Upper Siang district of Arunachal and can produce up to 11,000 MW of electricity.
'It Is For National Security'
"The Siang dam will counter the Chinese mega-dam on Yarlun Tsangbo. It is for national security and people should understand. We are making people aware of the implications of the Chinese project on our state. For the last five years, we have been creating awareness of the Siang Dam and many people understand but some are not able to understand the gravity of the situation and how the proposed Chinese dam will affect the Siang River and the downstream area," Mr Mein said.
"People should allow us to do a pre-visibility report and if it is feasible to make a dam in Siang in two years, we will make a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and if it is not beneficial for the people, then we will not construct a dam in Siang river but if it is, then we will construct the dam," he added.
The Siang Dam is facing resistance from locals in the area in Arunachal Pradesh.
More than 350 individuals, civil society and environmental groups across the country have urged President Droupadi Murmu to withdraw paramilitary forces deployed in Arunachal Pradesh to allegedly "forcefully carry out" surveys for a mega hydropower project.
At the Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum (SIFF), hundreds of villagers in the Siang River belt have been protesting and proposed feasibility studies be carried out for the proposed 12,500 MW Siang Upper Multi-purpose Project (SUMP).
"The deployment, which is meant to facilitate a pre-feasibility survey for the SUMP, has met with peaceful protests in villages of the Siang Valley in the past week. Expressing solidarity with the indigenous populations of the region, the submission to the President draws attention to the fact that this will be India's largest hydropower project," a statement bearing the signatures of 351 individuals and representatives of various organisations said.
The minister urged locals to allow the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) to take the machinery to the site for the pre-visibility report.
The Chinese dam will produce electricity equivalent to the Three Gorges Dam in China - the world's largest hydropower station - and have geological impacts in the earthquake-prone Himalayan belt. The proposed Chinese dam can produce 60,000 MW of hydropower.
The Three Gorges created a reservoir and displaced 1.4 million inhabitants upstream.
Explaining why the Siang Dam is necessary to protect the region, Mr Mein said, "If the pre-visibility was done then we will know what the height of the dam should be and how many areas will be submerged and then we will go for public hearing. If China releases water then the whole Siang River, Brahmaputra Valley and Guwahati's Sarighat bridge will be submerged. To counter them, our government decided to make the Siang Dam. If China stops releasing water then the river will be dried up," the Deputy Chief Minister said.
"The dam is not only meant for generating electricity but it will also help us to stop the water from the Chinese side and slowly we can release the water through our dam," he added.
Similar concerns over the Chinese dam have been raised by the Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, who said, "If this dam comes, then the Brahmaputra ecosystem will become completely fragile, it will become dry and will only depend on the rainwater of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh."